LIBRARY ATTITUDES AND INFORMATION NEEDS OF HISPANIC PARENTS IN SILER CITY, CHATHAM COUNTY: THE POTENTIAL OF SCHOOL LIBRARY

MEDIA CENTERS TO SERVE THESE NEEDS

by Helen Sarah Dunn

A Master's paper submitted to the faculty of the School of Information and Library Science of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in

Library Science.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

May, 2003

Approved by:

___________________________

Advisor

Helen Sarah Dunn. Library Attitudes and Information Needs of Hispanic Parents in Siler City, Chatham County: The Potential of School Library Media Centers to Serve These Needs. A Master’s paper for the M.S. in L.S. degree. May, 2003. 61 pages. Advisor: Evelyn Daniel.

This study describes a questionnaire survey of Hispanic parents in the Siler City School

District in Chatham County, North Carolina. The survey was conducted to determine the

school and library related attitudes and activities of these parents, as well as to assess

their information needs.

Parents of students enrolled in Siler City School District’s Limited English Proficiency

(LEP) program and whose primary language at home is Spanish have high opinions of

schools and libraries, because they believe these institutions can help their children excel

in school, as well as provide important information to their families. While these parents

do not regularly visit libraries, they agree that they would use library resources if services

that they needed were provided. Parents also agreed that it would be convenient for them

to use the libraries in their children’s schools.

Headings:

Hispanics – Library service

School libraries – Hispanics

Library services – North Carolina

Surveys – Library service

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION………………….……………………………………………………..1

Problem Statement………………………………………………………………...1 Definition of the term Hispanic……….…………………………………..4

RELEVANT LITERATURE……………………………………………………………...4 Introduction………………………………………………………………………..4

Rationale for Serving the Hispanic Community’s Information Needs Through School Library Services…………………………………………………………...5

Addressing the needs...……………………………………………………5 Increasing Hispanic population…………………………………………...5 Economic considerations………………………………………………….6 Hispanic Students and Parental Involvement……………………………………..8 High level of high school dropouts among Hispanic students……………8 Importance of parental involvement in education……………………….10 Potential Barriers to Parental Involvement for Hispanics………………………..11

Barriers erected by homes: cultural considerations……………………...11 Barriers erected by schools………………………………………………12 Assessing the Information Needs of Hispanic Families…………………………12 Hispanic information needs……………………………………………...12 Increasing Spanish language materials…………………………………..14 Characteristics of the “Hispanic family”………………………………...15 Examples of Successful Outreach to Hispanics: Case Studies…………………. 17 Introduction………………………………………………………………17 Empowering Families Through Literacy (EFTL)………………………..17 New Americans Project (NAP)……………………….………………….19 Forsyth County Public Library, North Carolina………….……….……..20 Summary………………………………………………………………….……...21 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………...…22 Research Goals…………………………………………………………………...22 Framework for Developing the Questionnaire……….………………………….24 Research Participants…………………………………………………………….26 Research Procedure………………………………………………………………27 Approval Processes………………………………………………………27 Distribution and receipt of the questionnaires…………………………...27 Analysis of the data………………………………………………………27 Research Findings………………………………………………………………..27 Mastery of English language…………………………………………….27 Education level…………………………………………………………...28

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School related attitudes among respondents……………………………..28 Level of participation in the education of their children among

respondents…………………...………………………………….28 How respondents fill their information needs……………………………29 Frequency of library visitation among respondents……………………...29 How respondents would use a library……………………………………29 Libraries visited by respondents in Chatham County……………………29 Library related attitudes among respondents…………………………….29

Analysis of data…………………………………………………………………..30 Low response rate………………………………………………………..30

Mastery of English language and education level of respondents………………………………………………………………31 School related attitudes among respondents and level of participation in the education of their children………………………………………...31 Information acquisition, frequency of library visits, and library

related activities and attitudes……………………………………………32

CONCLUSIONS……………………...…………………………………………………33

BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………...……………………………………..38 APPENDICES………………………………….………………………………………..43

Appendix A: Consent letter (and English translation)……………………….….43 Appendix B: Questionnaire (and English translation)…………………………..45 Appendix C: Commentary by respondents (English translation)………...……..55

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INTRODUCTION

Problem Statement

North Carolina’s Hispanic population is growing faster than any population in the

state, and North Carolina has the fastest growing Hispanic population in the country. The

Hispanic population of North Carolina increased from 1.2% of the total population in

1990 to 4.7% in 2000 as documented by the U.S. Census Bureau (Guzman, 2001, p. 4).

This is a growth of roughly 394% in about ten years (North Carolina Division of Social

Services and Children’s Resource Program, 2002, p. 2). An estimated two-thirds of

North Carolina’s Hispanics are foreign born (64.2%) and almost all of the state’s foreign-

born Hispanics are non-citizens—only 5.9% have been naturalized. In addition, the

Employment Security Commission estimates there are at least 58,000 Hispanic migrants

in North Carolina, a figure that is not included in census data (North Carolina Division of

Social Services and Children’s Resource Program, 2002, p. 2). Based upon the 2000

Census data, the Migration Policy Institute (Federation for American Immigration

Reform, 2002) issued a May 2002 study that estimated North Carolina's illegal-alien

population at more than 100,000 (“Illegal Resident Aliens”).

Due to the fact that the Hispanic population is relatively new to the State, North

Carolina’s school systems, health departments, social services and other community

agencies are still trying to adapt their services to cater to the demands of changing

demographics. The State has taken measures to identify and meet the needs of the

Hispanic community by setting up the Office of Hispanic/Latino Affairs and

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the Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs in 1998. However, the appointed

director of these programs, Puerto Rican native Nolo Martinez, still believes there is

much to be done, especially in the realm of education and providing information services

to Hispanics (Carpenter, 2002).

The dropout rate among Hispanics in North Carolina is steadily growing

(Associated Press, 2002) and the percentage of Hispanic children in the United States

whose parents had not completed high school in 1999 was 49 % (National Center for

Education Statistics, 1999). Research has shown that educational attainment of parents

is linked to the academic success of their children (National Center for Education

Statistics, 2001, “Indicator 4”) and that children whose families have no successful

educational experiences are at risk even before they begin school (Moller, 2001, p. 9).

Because Hispanics constitute the largest school age minority population in the United

States, and have the lowest level of education of any group in the country (Moller, 2001,

p. 9), there is special need for educators to address social and cultural issues that may

affect Hispanic education in the United States. One of these issues may be low level of

parental involvement in education. The lack of involvement does not mean that Hispanic

families do not care about the education of their children (Delgado-Gaitan & Trueba,

1991, p. 22), but that Hispanic parents face many barriers to achieving an active role in

the education of their children.

These barriers may be school-constructed, meaning that the school or school

district does not promote active parental involvement or teachers do not have the basic

skill or knowledge in working with parents to make collaboration successful (Barclay &

Boone, 1996, p. 25). Barclay terms barriers to parental involvement that originate from

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the family to be “barriers erected by homes” (Barclay & Boone, 1996, p. 33). Barriers

may include: negative attitudes towards school held by parents and passed on to children,

time and economic constraints, parent’s educational levels and abilities (Barclay &

Boone, 1996, pp. 34-37). In addition, parents from diverse cultures, and especially those

who are new to the country, may contend with language barriers, cultural differences and

differences in parental involvement expectations, and lack of knowledge of the resources

available for them to help their children in the schooling process.

Research has shown that higher levels of parent involvement lead to higher

student achievement (Dornbusch & Ritter, 1988, p. 76). Higher levels of parental

involvement in immigrant communities has also shown to be beneficial to the parents

themselves (Carnesi & Fiol, 2000; Osterling, 2001) because they become more familiar

with the public resources available to them and to their children. The studies noted above

show how libraries (Carnesi & Fiol, 2000) and schools (Osterling, 2001) can create

programs that reach out to immigrant communities and involve families in the education

process of their children, while at the same time provide valuable information and self-

advancement services to parents.

Libraries are centers for the dissemination of information, and their duty is to

provide for the information needs of their communities. Because of the favorable

disposition to libraries showed by North Carolina Hispanics (Rincon & Associates,

2000), school library media centers could be used to provide services to Hispanic parents

to help meet their information needs and to further involve them in the education of their

children. Using the same facilities that their children use may appeal more to parents of

Hispanic children who feel comfortable with schools because of the education their

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children are receiving. At the same time, using media centers as outreach to the

community would involve parents in their children’s education. This could have a great

effect on the educational experiences of Hispanic students and would take steps towards

reaching the information needs of their parents.

Definition of the term Hispanic. For purposes of this study, I will use the term

Hispanic to refer to people who trace their origins to a Spanish speaking country or

culture and who reside in the United States. Other terms used to refer to this group of

people include Latino, Chicano, or Spanish American.

RELEVANT LITERATURE

Introduction

This review of literature will provide insight into the study conducted by the

researcher. The focus of this study will be the results of a questionnaire given to parents

of Hispanic students whose primary language at home is Spanish and who are enrolled in

the Limited English Proficiency (LEP) program in the Siler City School District in

Chatham County, North Carolina. The study will investigate the library and school

related attitudes and activities of these parents, the amount of involvement they have in

their children’s education, as well as their information needs.

This review of literature relevant to the study is divided into several sections. The

sections are: Rationale for Serving the Hispanic Community’s Information Needs

Through School Library Services; Hispanic Students and Parental Involvement; Potential

Barriers to Parental Involvement for Hispanics; Assessing the Information Needs of

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Hispanic Families; Examples of Successful Outreach to Hispanics: Case Studies; and a

Summary.

Rationale for Serving the Hispanic Community’s Information Needs Through

School Library Services

Addressing the needs. The public education system in North Carolina has been

grappling with ways to improve education of the increasing Hispanic population. In June

of 1998 the state Office of Hispanic/Latino Affairs, the Advisory Council on

Hispanic/Latino Affairs, and the position of Director of Hispanic/Latino Affairs were

created to coordinate state and local programs to meet the needs of North Carolina’s

Hispanic/Latino residents. Then Governor Jim Hunt appointed Puerto Rican native Nolo

Martinez Director of Hispanic/Latino Affairs to lead the effort to create a better

infrastructure for identifying and meeting the needs of the Hispanic and Latino

population (Shore, 1998).

In a 1999 interview with the North Carolina Global Center, Martinez speaks about

the importance of serving the information needs of the growing Hispanic community in

North Carolina, both in the public education setting as well as in the work force setting.

He stresses the importance of the dissemination of information to members of the

Hispanic community to raise awareness of the services and opportunities available to

these new residents of the state (Carpenter, 2002).

Increasing Hispanic population. “A Profile of Hispanic Newcomers to North

Carolina,” written by James H. Johnson, Jr., Karen D. Johnson-Webb, and Walter C.

Farrell, Jr., in 1999 gives some insight into the characteristics of North Carolina’s

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Hispanic immigrant population. The authors conclude that the population has grown

rapidly, it is relatively young in comparison to the state’s other ethnic populations

meaning that the potential for continued growth through natural increase, as well as

continued in-migration of other Hispanics, is great. Among their findings were that

Hispanics were arriving in North Carolina from other states in the country as well as

directly from other countries and that they have settled in both metropolitan and non-

metropolitan areas in the state. Hispanic newcomers are concentrated in low-paying

primary, transformative, and service jobs. Among their findings was also that there is

considerable opposition to the Hispanic influx among long-term residents of the state.

This information is important because it indicates the factors that will contribute to the

increasing necessity of providing services to this growing population.

As the profile done by Johnson et al suggests, it is important to consider the

difference between Hispanic Americans (those who are citizens) and Hispanic

immigrants (those who are not). The Hispanic community in North Carolina is mostly

made up of recent immigrants (Guzman, 2001, p. 4). An estimated two-thirds of North

Carolina’s Hispanics are foreign born (64.2%). Almost all of the state’s foreign-born

Hispanics are non-citizens—only 5.9% have been naturalized (North Carolina Division

of Social Services, 2002). Most Hispanics in North Carolina communicate largely in

Spanish and are insecure about communicating in English (Rincon & Associates, 2000, p.

2).

Economic considerations. As Alire and Archibeque (1998) note, “One of the

most effective ways to convince a group of people…of the importance of a service is to

tell them how it will affect their wallets (Alire & Archibeque, 1998, p. 35). On this note,

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one could argue that a library providing information services to increase “human

potential” (such as self-help materials, ESL instruction, parenting courses, or resume

building courses) to Hispanics which could help them become more economically

productive, or compete for higher-paying jobs, is in turn helping the community by

making these residents more economically productive. This way, these residents will pay

more sales, income, and property taxes, which will then support public services such as

police, fire, and library (Alire & Archibeque, 1998, p. 35).

In addition, it is important to consider the economic implications of increasing

levels of knowledge and education within a community. The Hispanic high school

dropout rate is the highest among population sub groups in the country (Keeping the

Promise, 2002, p. 2), and in North Carolina, over 25 percent of high school dropouts were

Hispanic in 2000, up from about 2 percent in 1990 (Associated Press, 2002). This means

that a large segment of the population will not be well educated, and this segment perhaps

will not be as economically productive as they could be. However, by involving

Hispanic parents in literacy programs, libraries can “indirectly affect Latino student

achievement. Once Latino parents learn to read, they will also understand the importance

of reading often to their children” (Alire & Archibeque, 1998, p. 36). By reading often to

their children, parents can teach the value of knowledge and information in books.

Libraries can help Hispanics develop “human potential” by providing opportunities for

them to improve their economic status so that they may contribute more to their

community’s economy.

The educational, social, and personal development of Hispanic children is another

rationale for providing library services to the Hispanic community (Alire & Archibeque,

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1998, p. 37). Children are our future, and will eventually be responsible for contributing

financially to retirements of older generations, so it only makes sense to allow all

children to develop to their full potential (Alire & Archibeque, 1998, p. 37). While costs

for developing programs and collections for Spanish-only speaking patrons may seem

unreasonable and costly, the benefits of this investment “would far outweigh the initial

cost of these services in their formative years. The future economic success of Latino

children will affect everyone’s future economic well being” (Alire & Archibeque, 1998,

p. 38).

Hispanic Students and Parental Involvement

High level of high school dropouts among Hispanic students. The Senate

Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee released a study in June 2002 that cited

the major achievement gap between Hispanic and other students in the United States.

The number of Hispanic school age children has grown by 61% since 1990; one out of

every six children that attends public school in the country is Hispanic. The Hispanic

school age population is growing at the greatest rate in communities in the Midwest and

in the South with little or no history of serving them.

In North Carolina, the Hispanic school age population has grown by over 397

percent since 1990 (Keeping the Promise, 2002). This is the largest percentage jump in

the country. Hispanics older than age 16 are more than twice as likely to drop out of

school than African Americans and four times more likely to drop out than White

students (Keeping the Promise, 2002). As noted earlier, in North Carolina, over 25

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percent of dropouts were Hispanic in 2000, up from about 2 percent in 1990 (Associated

Press, 2002).

El Pueblo, Inc. suggests that immigration status and having to pay out of state

tuition are directly related to high Latino dropout numbers and education achievement

gaps. The organization contends that because Latino students cannot see a future in

higher learning, they see less benefit in completing high school (El Pueblo, 2001). All

school age children (3 to 21 years old) in the state of North Carolina have the right to free

public education regardless of residency status. This is mandated by federal law.

However, once a foreign-born individual without residency status is above the age 21, his

or her access to state education services becomes more complicated. While under federal

law, no state institution of higher education can refuse enrollment because of residency

status, non-residents must pay out of state tuition to attend public universities or

community colleges and are not eligible for financial aid or federal scholarships. The

Dream Act, under review in the U.S. Senate, would take measures to change this policy,

and make public post secondary education more accessible to the Hispanic foreign-born

population by allowing them to pay in-state tuition. As of now, the majority of North

Carolina’s fastest growing population does not have access to advance in education

beyond high school, and this could also be a contributing factor to the high level of

Hispanic dropouts in the state.

There are other factors that may contribute to low levels of Hispanic high school

completion. For example, Hispanic students who enter school at a later age may not do

well because they are not proficient in English or they may not feel accepted and drop out

as a result. Also, some school age Hispanics may bypass the school system entirely

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(Associated Press, 2002). Problems such as higher growth rates of English as a Second

Language (ESL) students than of ESL teachers, and inadequate appropriations of state

funding contribute to the problems and to the high drop out rate among Hispanic students

(Carpenter, 2002). The state has begun several bilingual education programs in response

to the failures of ESL programs to improve academic achievement among Hispanic

students (Martinez, 1999).

Importance of parental involvement in education. Research has shown that

educational attainment of parents is linked to the academic success of their children

(National Center for Education Statistics, 1999; Moller, 2001) and higher levels of parent

involvement leads to higher student achievement (Dornbusch & Ritter, 1988). A lower

level of parental involvement in schools has been associated with African Americans,

Asian Americans, and Hispanic parents, as well as parents from a lower socio-economic

status (Eccles & Harold, 1993). Moreover, there appears to be a correlation between

educational attainment of parents and their children in the Hispanic population of the

United States (Moller, 2001, p. xvi).

Bermudez (1994) identifies benefits to be gained by involvement of culturally and

linguistically diverse (CLD) parents in their children’s schooling. He writes, “Benefits

for students include (a) improved student academic achievement, (b) increased language

achievement, (c) improved overall school behavior and attendance, (d) sustained

achievement gains, (e) improved attitudes in science among adolescents, and (f)

increased cognitive growth” (Bermudez, 1994, p. 7). While there are no figures available

for educational attainment of Hispanic parents in North Carolina, the percentage of

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Hispanic children in the United States whose parents had not completed high school in

1999 was 49% (Child Trends Data Bank, 2002).

The North Carolina Division of Accountability Services conducted a study in

2001 to examine the school environments of 8th grade students across North Carolina.

The aim of their research was to determine the relationship between school environment

and student outcomes. They found that lack of parental involvement was one of the

factors contributing to lower student outcomes. Another factor of lower student outcomes

was less desirable psychological and behavioral climates in schools where Hispanics and

other minorities attended (North Carolina Division of Accountability Services, 2001).

This study is valuable because it makes the link between parental involvement and

overall quality of education.

Potential Barriers to Parental Involvement for Hispanics

Barriers erected by homes: cultural considerations. Nicolau and Ramos, as

well as Moller, suggest that there are considerable differences in the roles of parents in

schools in Hispanic’s home countries than in the United States. Hispanics in the United

States may feel like they should not get involved with schools because they feel unworthy

and feel they have no right to question school systems that are governed by educated non-

Hispanics (Nicolau & Ramos, 1990, pp.13-14; Moller, 2001, pp.10-15). Because of their

non-involvement, many school administrators and teachers take this to mean that

Hispanic parents do not care about their children's education. This leads to poor

communication and mistrust between school personnel and Hispanic families (Nicolau &

Ramos, 1990, pp.13-14).

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Another factor that may contribute to low Hispanic parental involvement in

children’s education is the language barrier. The State Library of North Carolina “Survey

of Library Needs for North Carolina Hispanics” found that North Carolina Hispanics

were very Spanish language dependent and insecure about communicating in English.

The survey conducted by telephone of a representative sample of Hispanics residing in

North Carolina documented that over 8 in 10 Hispanics (81.7%) preferred to be

interviewed in Spanish (Rincon & Associates, 2000).

Other factors may be the inability to help their children with school work due to

low levels of educational achievement, parent’s unsuccessful educational experiences,

and cultural differences in the perceived role of the parent in education (Moller, 2001, p.

9). For example, Hispanic parents may believe that it is the school’s job to educate their

children, and that they should not become involved.

Barriers erected by schools. A school-constructed barrier is what Epstein and

Dauber (1989) refer to as an attitudinal barrier that exists among teachers who differ from

their students culturally, educationally, and socio-economically and do not believe that

their parents are willing or able to become involved in the education process of their

children. This “attitude” makes it harder to reach culturally diverse parents, and has been

challenged by research that has shown that parents of all backgrounds are capable of

being productively involved in their children’s education (Dauber & Epstein, 1989).

Assessing the Information Needs of Hispanic Families

Hispanic information needs. The results of an investigation initiated by the

State Library of North Carolina called “Survey of Library Needs for North Carolina

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Hispanics” in 2000 suggest that North Carolina Hispanics are not strong library users, but

are favorably disposed to libraries. Results revealed the low number of Hispanic library

users in North Carolina but also positive attitudes towards libraries among Hispanics

because of the belief that they helped children perform better in school and because they

could provide useful information.

The survey showed that respondents believed visitation levels would increase (1)

if library signage in Spanish improved to the point that non-English speakers could

conduct searches in Spanish for the information they needed, (2) if more books and

materials were provided related to Hispanic people and culture, and (3) if other relevant

information on day to day life was provided, such as health information, parenting

resources, self-help resources, government forms and instructions for applications, such

as those for housing and jobs (Rincon & Associates, 2000).

The study also revealed that Hispanics would consider visiting a library if there

were classes providing instruction to reading and speaking in English, if there were

information provided about citizenship, information regarding health services and if

children’s books were provided in Spanish.

The State Library study is an important milestone for North Carolina libraries

interested in better serving Hispanic populations in their communities. The results of this

survey show that Hispanics in North Carolina are favorably disposed to libraries.

Because of this positive attitude towards libraries, school library media centers could be

used to provide services to the Hispanic community (both students and parents) to help

meet their information needs. At the same time, using media centers as outreach to the

community would involve parents in their children’s education. More research into the

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information needs of potential Hispanic library patrons is needed in states such as North

Carolina that have not traditionally served the Hispanic community, but have recently

experienced an influx. Alire and Archibeque (1998) suggest that “Latino information

needs are as important as the needs of others but they will probably also differ from your

non-minority users’ needs” (p. 41).

Increasing Spanish language materials. There is a great need for further

development of school library and public collections in Spanish in North Carolina not

only to increase the materials available to students but also to increase materials available

to parents who do not speak English. According to the Texas Committee for the

Humanities, in the United States, up to 87% of non-English speakers who are illiterate in

English are also illiterate in their native language (Alire & Archibeque, 1998, p. 38).

Research done by Alicia Sosa in 1993 suggests that in order to succeed in a second

language, a strong foundation in one’s first language is necessary. Sosa’s research

looked at Mexican-American students and how their progress in learning English is

affected when they are forced to learn only in English in what is called “English

Immersion Programs.” She found that Mexican-American students who are encouraged

to remain fluent in Spanish, and who are provided with reading materials in Spanish are

more likely to succeed in English, and do better academically (Sosa, 1993, p.13).

Moller (2001) cites studies done by the Colorado State Library and Adult

Education Office that have shown that the size of school library media centers’ staff and

collections is the best predictor of student academic achievement (p. xviii). Moller adds

that “Library resources in Spanish would therefore help Latino students learn the

fundamental concepts being introduced in the curriculum, bridge gaps in understanding,

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integrate new material into their current knowledge base, and ultimately achieve more

success academically and in life” (p. xviii).

According media specialist Rose Pate, of Jordan Matthews High School in

Chatham County, North Carolina’s school library media centers often do not have

adequate funding to stock their shelves with needed resources in English, let alone to

develop a collection in Spanish (Rose Pate, personal communication, October 14, 2002).

However, Alire and Archibeque challenge that “providing services to [Hispanics] should

not be viewed as a funding issue” (Alire & Archibeque, 1998, p. 41). Likewise, Moller

states, “Spanish-language materials should not be seen as merely supplemental library

materials, but as integral parts of collections serving Latino populations” (2001, p. xviii).

Hispanics, like non-Hispanics, pay taxes that support the libraries, schools, and other

public services in their communities, and thus should benefit from the tax-paid services

as others in the community do.

School library media centers are often overlooked and "are rarely thought of as

central players when anyone - even government - is planning to distribute information to

the public" (Nichols, 1995, p. 352), even though these libraries are the ideal places to

provide and disseminate information to the public.

Characteristics of the “Hispanic family.” It is important to identify the role of

family and community in Hispanic culture in order to see how school library media

centers could be used as outreach centers to the Hispanic community. While

generalizations about Hispanics is somewhat difficult due to the great variety of cultures

and countries they come from, Alire and Archibeque believe that the similarities are

greater than the differences among Hispanic subgroups (1998, pp.6-7). The family (la

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familia) is a very important social institution among Hispanics (Garcia, p.124). Family

includes not only the nuclear unit, but also an extended community of family members.

Activities, or “outings,” that include the entire family are prevalent in Hispanic culture

due to the strong family ties and sense of unity felt within the family (Alire and

Archibeque, 1998, pp. 6-7).

Research suggests that children are the main focus of the Hispanic family, and

that the best way to get Hispanic parents into the library is through children’s

programming and family centered activities. (Alire and Archibeque, 1998, p.101). North

Carolina Hispanics have mostly positive attitudes toward schools and libraries because of

the belief that they helped children perform better in school (Rincon & Associates, 2000).

Suarez-Orozco suggests that Hispanic immigrant families strongly believe in the

importance of schooling, and recognize its importance in the upward mobility of their

children (2001, p.152) and that “newly-arrived immigrant parents tend to be positive

about the schooling opportunities offered to their children" (p.149). This suggestion

combined with the findings of the State Library Survey relays the importance of outreach

to this community through the library medium to involve parents in their children’s

education and also to provide them with the information they need.

Capitalizing on the importance of family in the Hispanic community by creating

school library media center programs that encourage parental involvement could lead to

an increase in library use by the Hispanic community. Parental participation of Hispanic

students would not only benefit students, but would also open the door to creating ways

to meet the information needs of the Hispanic community.

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Examples of Successful Outreach to Hispanics: Case Studies

Introduction. There are many examples of effective outreach programs to

Hispanics of public libraries and school systems across the country, but a great lack of

literature on outreach done through school library media centers. However, an argument

could be made for using school library media centers as outreach to the Hispanic

community using evidence provided by research that the Hispanic population trusts of

schools, while generally distrustful of government agencies including public libraries

(Sundell, 2000, p. 145; North Carolina Division of Social Services and Children’s

Resource Program, 2002, p. 7). However, much can be learned from successful programs

in the public library and school outreach realm.

Empowering Families Through Literacy (EFTL). Case studies, such as that of

the El Salvadoran population in Arlington, Virginia (Osterling, 2001), provide good

information as to how school systems can better engage culturally diverse student and

community populations whose primary languages are not English to increase literacy and

academic success. The article notes the high percentage of dropouts by Hispanic students

in the country, and specifically of Salvadoran students in the schools of Arlington. The

Salvadoran population in Arlington has reached upwards of 200,000 in the Arlington area

as a result of the Civil War, which spanned from 1979 to 1992 in El Salvador. Over 1

million fled El Salvador in these years, and most of theses refugees came to the U.S.

Arlington County opened its doors to these refugees and is now trying to address the

issues that have come about after years of failing to provide proper educational

opportunities to these families. Educators had failed to look at the circumstances

surrounding the Salvadoran children in their schools. Many were separated from the

22

families for years because there was not enough money to bring them across the

Guatemalan and Mexican borders into the U.S. As happens with many immigrant

families from Latin America, one family member crosses the border first to establish a

place for their family. Then, when enough money is earned to bring a child or a spouse

over, it is sent back so that they may make preparations with a coyote (a person who is

paid to get immigrants across the border illegally.) Also, in this case, many of the

children and parents had seen murders and other horrendous acts during the war.

A program called Empowering Families Through Literacy (EFTL) was launched

in 1996 by a group of volunteer Latino professionals with collaboration of Arlington

School teachers and administration. The program was started based upon the knowledge

that many of the parents of the students enrolled in the Arlington area schools were not

literate in Spanish due to lack of educational resources in their war torn country. They

also realized that the families were very tightly knit and that familial support and unity

was the basis of their survival. Parents and other relatives could not help their children

with schoolwork, and could not participate in school functions because of the language

and literacy barrier. Also, school age children often found themselves in role reversal.

That is, children served as translators and caretakers of their parents because they learned

English before them. The volunteers envisioned creating a program that would work

with entire families by teaching parents literacy and math skills in Spanish while at the

same time tutoring and providing activities for their children. Once the parents could

fend for themselves, they could also begin to help their children and to give them more

hope in how staying in school can really benefit them.

23

This case study is very pertinent to school communities who are seeing a dramatic

increase in Hispanic enrollment, like many of North Carolina’s schools. Promoting

literacy to the Hispanic community is one way the school library media centers could

attract Hispanic parents into the libraries. While I am not aware of any Literacy

Programs through school systems in North Carolina, I do know that ESL classes are

already being offered to some Hispanic community members through teacher

volunteerism and media center coordination in the Bilingual Parent Resource Center in

Siler City, Chatham County.

New Americans Project (NAP). Successful outreach programs in the public

library realm in communities that have had significant Hispanic populations for a number

of decades have marketed their services highly to potential Hispanic patrons. For

example, the Queens Borough Public Library offers workshops on immigration law,

workers’ and tenants’ rights, and the American education system (Moller, 2001, p. 29).

In order to better serve its growing international population, the Queens Library formed

the New Americans Project (NAP) in 1977. Since its beginnings, NAP has developed

into the New Americans Program, and has a professional staff of eight, a secretary, and

twenty-three ESL teachers. The program, geared only toward newly arrived immigrants,

began from the idea that public libraries in the United States are distinctive. “Immigrants

for the most part come from countries where libraries are perceived as being for the use

of scholars alone, where books may not be allowed to circulate, where community

information referral services are all but non-existent. It is unrealistic, therefore, to expect

immigrants to seek out libraries by themselves” (Carnesi & Fiol, 2000, p. 134).

24

Forsyth County Public Library, North Carolina. In 1996, the Forsyth County,

North Carolina, Public Library applied for and received a grant of $41,000 from the

North Carolina State Library to begin serving its Hispanic population. Forsyth’s

Hispanic population at this time were mainly new immigrants; nearly half of households

had at least one child; the educational attainment of adults was relatively low; almost

90% of the population was employed (94% of those employed worked full time; 29%

worked more than 45 hours a week); the population was not highly proficient in English;

the most common free time activity was going to church (65%); formal sources of

information were television and newspaper; the most important informal source of

information was from church leaders and friends; and the ranking for most needed

services were English classes, Spanish television, immigration resources, health

resources, Spanish radio, and employment resources (Sundell, 2000, pp. 144-145). This

assessment of the Hispanic population’s activities and needs was used to create a

program that would cater to and attract Hispanics, however, despite efforts to market to

the Hispanic population and expand the usage of the library by the Hispanic immigrants

of Forsyth County, Sundell acknowledges that many of the Hispanics who could benefit

from the library’s services will probably never use them.

As Carnesi and Fiol note that library service to the public is not offered in many

immigrants’ home countries, Sundell also suggest that unfamiliarity is a barrier to getting

potential Hispanic patrons into the library. Sundell points out another important barrier:

distrust of government agencies. He writes, “Since many are undocumented

[immigrants] and also because they are accustomed to widespread government corruption

in their home countries, there is also a mistrust of government agencies” (Sundell, 2000,

25

p.145). Other potential barriers identified were heavy workloads, and difficulties with

transportation to and from the library (Sundell, 2000, p.145).

Summary

North Carolina’s Hispanic population is mostly foreign born and includes many

recent immigrants from their home countries, or from other states, who may be in the

country legally or illegally. The Hispanic population is relatively new to North Carolina

and because of this the state is still developing strategies to better serve their information

needs. Research has shown that educational attainment of parents can affect the

academic success of their children, and linked parental involvement to academic success

of children. Research has also suggested that the level of these two factors is low in the

Hispanic population in the United States. However, Hispanic immigrants have

demonstrated the desire for their children succeed in school, as they see academic success

as a benefit to their children. Hispanics in North Carolina have shown themselves to be

family oriented, as well as favorably disposed to libraries because of their ability to help

children do better in school. Might school library media centers be used as outreach to

the Hispanic community, drawing in families and involving parents in the education of

their children? Could the school library media center meet the information needs

Hispanic of “[parents], most of whom care deeply about the achievement and future of

their children, but are unfamiliar with the system of education in the United States, do not

understand how they are expected to relate to it, and do not know how or where to find

assistance” (Nicolau & Ramos, 1990, p. 15)?

26

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Goals

This research for this study focused on the parents of Hispanic students whose

primary language at home is Spanish and who are enrolled in the Limited English

Proficiency (LEP) program in the Siler City School District in Chatham County, North

Carolina. The research was conducted through a questionnaire developed to assess the

library and school related attitudes and activities of these parents, the level of

involvement they have in their children’s education, as well as their information needs.

The Siler City School District in Chatham County was chosen because of the

recent increase in Hispanic student enrollment. In all of Chatham County, there was a

598% surge in Hispanic public school enrollment from 1990-1998. Most of the newly

enrolled Hispanic students were in the Siler City School District. This increase can be

attributed to the employment of many of the students’ parents in the manufacturing

industry, such as lumber and wood products, textile making, metalworking, and poultry

processing (Rose Pate, personal communication, October 14, 2002). Siler City is

Chatham County’s largest town, and approximately 40% of the County’s workforces of

21,000 people are employed in Siler City’s manufacturing and processing plants. Major

employers, located in Siler City, include textile manufacturers such as Mastercraft and

Glendale Group LTD, and poultry processors include Townsends and Goldkist (North

Carolina Department of Commerce, 2003).

Chatham County has three public libraries in Siler City, Pittsboro and Goldston.

Each school in the district has a school library media center, and the school system has a

Bilingual Parent Resource Center that is supported by Title I funds and serves the parents

27

of children in Chatham County schools. It is located in the Sage Academy in Siler City,

and is across the hallway from the Parent Intake Center for the Siler City School District.

The Center has about 15 computers with Internet access, parenting books in

English and Spanish, children’s books in both languages, and they offer ESL and

parenting classes for free. The Center also has access to online computer courses. There

is a Homework Hotline that is open several days a week. Kids, or parents, can call in to

speak (in English or in Spanish) with one of the teachers that staff the phones. The

Center is open every school day during normal business hours, and parents are welcome

to stop in without appointment.

The “open doors” philosophy of the Resource Center is much different than that

of the library media centers in the schools. In order to visit one of the school library

media centers or visit anyone inside the schools, visitors have to make an appointment

and then sign in at the front office to get a visitor’s pass and wait until the appropriate

contact has been notified of his or her arrival. Of course, this is to protect the safety of

the students, yet it may be an additional barrier to parental involvement in the education

of their children, as well as impede parents’ use of libraries in the schools. For the

purposes of this study, the Bilingual Parent Resource Center is included under the term

“school library media center.”

The goal of the research is the investigation of the information needs of Hispanic

parents in an area in which they are a relatively new segment of the population and where

efforts are already being made to meet their needs. The research is intended to shed light

on any correlations between school and library related attitudes, school and library

related activities, and levels of participation in the education of their children. For

28

example, the survey results could identify if parents who actively participate in the

education of their children also visit libraries on a regular basis. Or, the results may show

that parents who actively participate in the education of their children do not go to the

library, but believe the library is a good place to find information and to help their

children do better in school. This would provide an argument that school libraries could

market their services to this group of parents as the research suggest that these parents are

favorably disposed to libraries.

Framework for Developing the Questionnaire

There is an abundance of literature on the importance of family, school, and

community in the education process. Epstein (2002) developed a “typology,” that

elaborates on the types of involvement needed to bring together school, family, and

community. This typology provides a framework for incorporating parenting,

communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaboration that

can be used to strengthen connections between the groups. Epstein’s typology of family

and community involvement in education provides an excellent basis for developing a

plan to reach out to North Carolina’s Hispanic community through school library media

centers.

The bases of Epstein’s typology as related to the role of the parent as paraphrased

by the author of this paper are as follows:

1. Basic obligations of parents. Parents provide children with basic needs (health, educational support, emotional support, and social support) and schools are responsible for helping parents learn how to provide for their children 2. Basic obligation of schools. Schools actively communicate with parents (through memos, report cards, notices, and parent conferences) by reporting

29

future events, school programs, parenting resources and children’s progress in school. 3. Parent involvement. Parents are given the opportunity by schools to become involved as volunteers assisting teachers in the classroom, administrators, media specialists, or assisting children in other areas of the school. Parents also participate in supporting the school by attending sports events, student performances, and other events. 4. Parent involvement in learning at home. This refers to parent initiated or child initiated requests for help in response to ideas from teachers for parents to monitor and assist their children with home learning activities or homework. 5. Parent involvement in governance and advocacy. Parents are involved in the decision making process of their PTA, Advisory Councils, or other councils and groups at the school, district and state levels.

This typology was used to form the questions for the questionnaire, making sure

that all categories were included (See Appendix B). In addition, the questionnaire asks

general questions about library use and attitudes towards libraries, in order to discern

whether or not school library media centers can be successful mediums through which to

perform outreach to Hispanic parents.

As noted by Brilliant (2001, p. 5), when developing survey questions to study

parent involvement among the Hispanic community or any other culturally and

linguistically diverse population, it is necessary to address the social, linguistic, and

cultural background of participants. Past studies have shown a dichotomy between

parent concern and low response rate to survey questions, perhaps because the research

methodology did not address the background of the participants (Brilliant, 2001). Several

questions that had to be considered were; (1) should the survey be written only in

English, or translated into Spanish?; (2) are parents literate in English, and/or in

Spanish?; (3) will parents understand the survey techniques and survey-taking directions?

30

As Brilliant writes, “Just as languages and cultures vary widely, research methods used in

the United States can differ from those used in other countries, as can patterns of

response” (Brilliant, 2001, p. 5)

In consideration of these factors, the questionnaire was written in Spanish and

tested for understandability and time of completion with a small group of Spanish

speakers of different education levels. The average time to complete the survey was 14

minutes, and there were no problems in understanding any of the questions.

Research Participants

The sample of participants included 182 parents from different households. The

participants were parents of Hispanic students who receive LEP (Limited English

Proficiency) services in the Siler City School District and whose primary language used

at home is Spanish. All members of the sample resided in Siler City, and their children

attended school in the Siler City District. These parents were chosen for the

questionnaire because of their relationship to the school system and as potential users of

the school library media centers and other libraries in the area. The names and addresses

of the parents were provided by the Parent Intake Center in Sage Academy, Siler City.

All students new to the District are registered in the Parent Intake Center. However, this

does not mean that all of the parents who were sent questionnaires were new to the school

district. Many already had children registered prior to this year. There was no

distinction made in choosing parents according to the grade level of their children. The

only requisites were that the parents reside in Siler City and their children attend a Siler

City School, that their children be listed as Hispanic, be enrolled in the LEP program and

31

that Spanish be their primary language at home. All of this information was provided by

the Parent Intake Center. From this, I made the inference that the parents of these

children would be primarily Spanish speaking.

Research Procedure

Approval Processes. The study was first approved by the UNC AA-IRB and

then by the Chatham County School System. Both the consent letter (See Appendix A)

and the questionnaire (See Appendix B) were approved by both authorities.

Distribution and receipt of the questionnaires. The names and addresses of the

sample of 182 parents were obtained through the Chatham County Schools Parent Intake

Center at Sage Academy in Siler City. The questionnaires, along with accompanying

consent letters and self-addressed stamped envelopes for returning the questionnaire were

sent to the sample on April 14, 2003. The respondents were given three weeks to return

the questionnaires. Of the 182 questionnaires sent, twenty-one were sent back “Return to

Sender” because of inaccurate postal information. Thirteen (13) questionnaires were

returned completed.

Analysis of the data. Because of the small number of returned questionnaires,

the data was reviewed by identifying groupings of similar responses and then analyzed.

Research Findings

Mastery of English language. Most respondents replied that they were more

comfortable communicating in Spanish (9) or they were comfortable communicating in

both English and Spanish (4). The number of respondents who could speak English very

32

little or more or less (11) was equal to the number who could read and write in English

very little or not at all.

Education level. The majority of respondents had completed elementary and

middle school (9), while the remaining had completed high school (2) and university (2).

School related attitudes among respondents. All (13) respondents agreed very

much or agreed that the school their children attended was good for their children, the

teachers in the school were interested in the progress of their children, they felt good

about the school, their children were learning as much as they could in the school, the

school was one of the best in the area for parents and children, the school gave parents

the information they need to help their children succeed, and the school encouraged

parents to be volunteers and to participate in the education of their children.

Level of participation in the education of their children among respondents.

Most respondents (11) participated in the education of their children at home. They

always or frequently spoke with their children about the importance of school (13), they

helped children with homework always or a lot (9), to study for tests always or a lot (9)

and read to their children always, a lot, or frequently (8).

Most respondents did not participate in the education of their children outside of

the home. Most rarely or never spoke with their children’s teachers on the telephone (9),

never or rarely visited their children’s classrooms (10), never or rarely go to a library

with their children (10). About half of the respondents always went to special events in

their children’s school and to PTA meetings (6) while the other half rarely or never went

to special events or PTA meetings (7).

33

How respondents fill their information needs. Most respondents agreed that

family and friends were their main source of information for day-to-day needs (9).

Respondents also used radio (8), television (4), newspaper (4), library (2), magazines (2),

Church (2), Internet (1), and none used the yellow pages.

Frequency of library visitation among respondents. Most respondents had

visited a library once in the past 12 months (4) or never in past 12 months (4). The rest

of the respondents replied that they visit a library every month (2), every three to six

months (1), and every week (1).

How respondents would use a library. Most respondents (9) agreed they would

definitely or probably use a library to borrow materials for adults, materials for children

(8), and materials for young adults (8). Most respondents agreed they would definitely or

probably (8) use a library to read magazines and newspapers, to attend classes on how to

use computers (10), to talk with a librarian about books their children could read (9), to

use a computer to access the Internet (8), to bring their children to children’s programs

(8), to attend classes to learn English (9), to attend parenting classes (8), and to access

government information about taxes, laws, and citizenship (8).

Libraries visited by respondents in Chatham County. About half of the

respondents had not visited a library in Chatham County (7). The libraries visited by

respondents were one of the area public libraries (3), the Bilingual Parent Resource

Center (2), and the library in the school of their children (2).

Library related attitudes among respondents. All respondents agreed very

much or agreed that libraries are good places to find information (13), that libraries can

help their children do better in school (13), that they would visit libraries more if they

34

didn’t have to work so much (13), that it would be convenient to have more access to the

library in their children’s school or to the Bilingual Parent Resource Center (13), and that

they would visit libraries more often if libraries provided more information about

Hispanic people, culture, and events (13). Most respondents replied that library staff

could more or less communicate with Hispanics (8), and that library staff was friendly

with Hispanics (8).

Analysis of Data

Low response rate. The low response rate can be attributed to several factors.

While the research methodology for this study attempted to address the social, linguistic

and cultural background of participants, past studies in the United States of culturally and

linguistically diverse populations have also experienced low response rates (Brilliant,

2001). The questionnaire was tested with a pilot group of educationally diverse members

for understandability and ease of completion; however, there may be other factors

involved in the low response rate. While the questionnaire was approved by Chatham

County Schools, it was not sent to parents as a communication of the schools, but as a

personal communication from the researcher. Perhaps having the “seal of approval” from

the schools would have aroused more confidence in the participants as to the intent of the

questionnaire. While those who responded seemed to be very grateful for the interest of a

researcher in the needs of the Hispanic community (See Appendix C), many may not

have trusted the intentions of such research if it was not conducted directly by the schools

their children attend.

35

Mastery of English language and education level of parents. The majority of

respondents were more comfortable communicating in Spanish, and could get by

speaking in English, but could not read and write well in English. This means that a

language barrier could exist in communications with their children’s schools, impeding

their involvement in school encouraged functions and activities. It also may affect the

ability to help their children with homework, as their children will be learning in English.

Another factor that could impede parents’ ability to help children with homework is their

level of educational attainment. Most respondents had completed elementary and middle

school, but not high school or university. As children advance beyond the grade levels

the parents themselves completed, helping them may become more difficult. Another

consideration is that most of the parents in the sample were probably educated in their

home country, meaning that their education would be fundamentally different from that

which their children are receiving in the United States.

School related attitudes among respondents and level of participation in the

education of their children. All respondents showed favorable dispositions to the

schools their children attended. They all believed that their children were getting a very

good education, that the schools cared about the progress of their children, and that the

schools provided parent the information and encouragement they needed to help their

children succeed. This disposition is positively reflected in amount of parental

participation in their children’s education at home (teaching children the importance of

education, reading to children, helping children with homework and preparing for tests).

However, responses indicated that parental participation outside of the home did not

36

correspond with the encouragement that parents received from schools to be volunteers,

speak with their children’s teachers, or to visit their children’s classrooms.

According to Epstein (2002), this means that parents were only partially

completing the basic obligations of parental involvement. The fact that parents rarely

spoke with their children’s teachers and rarely visited their children’s classrooms may be

attributed to the language barrier. It could be inferred that parents may not feel

comfortable visiting their children’s schools because they do not feel comfortable about

their ability to communicate with school personnel. Another factor could be cultural

differences in the perceived role of parents and schools in the education of children.

Information acquisition, frequency of library visits, and library related

activities and attitudes. Respondents mostly got the information they need from family

and friends, radio, television, and newspaper. Only two respondents listed the library as a

place where they went to find information. Corresponding with this, most respondents

had visited a library only once in the past 12 months or had not visited a library at all in

past 12 months. About half of the respondents had not visited a library in Chatham

County. This data clarifies that libraries are not regularly used as a resource to find

information by this group of parents.

However, most respondents agreed that libraries were good places to find

information, could help their children succeed in school, and that they would use a library

if services were more catered to their information needs. Most respondents also agreed

that it would be convenient for them to have more access to the libraries in their

children’s schools as well as the Parent Resource Center and that they would visit the

library more if they didn’t have to work as much. Most responded that they would use a

37

library to borrow materials for adults, for children, and for young adults as well as to read

magazines and newspapers, to attend classes on how to use computers, to talk with a

librarian about books their children could read, to use a computer to access the Internet,

to bring their children to children’s programs, to attend classes to learn English, to attend

parenting classes, and to access government information about taxes, laws, and

citizenship.

This information provides insight into services that libraries could be offer to

attract patrons with similar needs as the respondents: providing Spanish language

materials for adults, children, and young adults; posting library signage and information

in Spanish; having bilingual staff members; and offering ESL, computer, and parenting

courses at times when parents were not working. It also confirms that these parents

would find it convenient to have more access school library media centers as well as the

Parent Resource Center.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study point to some conclusions that school library media

centers in Siler City could use to increase the involvement of Hispanic parents in their

children’s education as well as provide the parents access to the information they need.

The parents who participated in this study think highly of the schools their children attend

and also participate in the education of their children at home. While the study suggests

that educational, cultural or linguistic barriers may impede participation in their

children’s education outside of the home, it also points to how this participation could be

increased. This is important because research has shown that educational attainment of

38

parents can affect the academic success of their children, and has linked parental

involvement to academic success of children (National Center for Education Statistics,

1999; Moller, 2001; Dornbusch & Ritter, 1988).

The parents unanimously agreed that libraries can help their children do better in

school, and could provide them information they need to involve themselves more in

their children’s education. The parents also demonstrated the desire for their children

succeed in school, as they see academic success as a benefit to their children. These

findings correlate with the findings of the study done by the State Library of North

Carolina (Rincon & Associates, 2000).

By providing parents convenient access to library services that would help them

further educate themselves and their families (materials in Spanish, ESL classes,

computer classes, parenting classes), they would begin to break some of the educational,

cultural and linguistic barriers that may be a contributing factor to the high level of drop

outs among Hispanic high school students in North Carolina. Supporting this idea is the

comment of one of the respondents of this study who wrote that it would be helpful to

have a library, “in which I could learn more English and find more information about

things that I need to know and that can help me and my family.” Another respondent

wrote, “I go to the public library in Siler City with my children. I would like for them to

have more videos or visual systems to learn English as second language. The ones they

have are obsolete and they are always checked out, so I believe that they should acquire

more. This would also bring in more Latinos to the library and would bring more

participation by Latinos in the library’s programs.”

39

The parents in this study showed themselves to be family oriented, concerned for

the well being of their children and very positive about the schooling their children are

receiving, just as respondents did in the State Library study (Rincon & Associates, 2000).

This finding, combined with the suggestion of research that children are the main focus

of the Hispanic family, that Hispanic parents often make their first visit to school or

public libraries with their children (Moller, 2001, p. 20), and that the best way to get

Hispanic parents into the library is through children’s programming and family centered

activities (Alire and Archibeque, 1998, p.101), provides the argument for using school

library media centers to increase parental involvement in children’s education as well as

meet the information needs of the parents.

While the questionnaire did not ask if respondents were foreign born, we know

from their answers that their primary language is Spanish, and that Hispanic community

in North Carolina is mostly made up of recent immigrants who are not naturalized

citizens (Guzman, 2001, p. 4, North Carolina Division of Social Services, 2002). The

State Library study also suggests that most Hispanics in North Carolina communicate

largely in Spanish and are insecure about communicating in English, which also

corresponds with this study (Rincon & Associates, 2000, p. 2). The fact that the parents

who participated in the survey did not regularly use any library to acquire information

could be attributed to the fact they may not feel comfortable in libraries that do not

provide services, materials, or information in Spanish. One of the respondents of this

study commented that he/she did not go to libraries “because I was not sure if I would

find people who could speak Spanish.”

40

The parents all agreed that they would use library services more if (1) they didn’t

have to work so much, (2) the library provided more information about Hispanic people,

events, and culture, and (3) the library provided more information and services that were

relevant to their lives. And all parents in this study said it would be convenient for them

to have more access to the library in the school of their children or to the Bilingual Parent

Resource Center. From these responses, it can be concluded that in this case, the Siler

City School District could use its school library media centers or the Parent Resource

Center to draw in Hispanic parents by offering the services that these parents have said

they would use.

Besides family and friends, respondents also frequently used radio, television, and

newspaper to obtain the information they need in their day-to-day lives. Successful

outreach programs by public libraries to the Hispanic community have marketed their

services highly to potential Hispanic patrons (Moller, 2001, p. 29). Knowing the

communications mediums that the group who participated in this study use to obtain

information could be useful as a starting point for marketing library services to the

Hispanic community in Siler City. In addition, the library services could be marketed

through the schools themselves.

Once again, we come back to the question: could the school library media center

meet the information needs Hispanic of “[parents], most of whom care deeply about the

achievement and future of their children, but are unfamiliar with the system of education

in the United States, do not understand how they are expected to relate to it, and do not

know how or where to find assistance” (Nicolau & Ramos, 1990, p. 15)? I believe this is

best answered by one of the comments of a respondent. This respondent explains that

41

he/she arrived in the state six months ago, and when he/she brought his/her daughters to

the Intake Center to register them for school, he/she was offered a free English as a

Second Language course to be held in the Bilingual Parent Resource Center. He/She

explained to them that he/she did not have transportation, but the Center offered her

transportation to and from the course. The respondent adds that he/she is very grateful to

the state of North Carolina for offering services like English as a Second Language

courses and writes, “I know nothing, absolutely nothing about the English language, so I

am going to begin from zero. I hope to soon be able to speak, write, and read English

because it is something that interests me very much and is very important to me and my

family and because of this I want to make sure that I participate in the programs that the

state offers.”

42

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http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/sixtypes.htm

Federation for American Immigration Reform. (2002). FAIR-North Carolina state profile

[Electronic version]. Retrieved November 1, 2002, from

http://www.fairus.org/html/042nc702.htm

Garcia, E. (2001). Hispanics in the United States: Raices y alas. Lanham: Rowman &

Littlefield.

44

Guzman, B. (2001, May). The Hispanic population: Census 2000 brief. No. C2KBR/01-3

[Electronic version]. U.S. Department of Commerce: Economics and Statistics

Administration. Retrieved November 1, 2002, from

http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-3.pdf

Johnson, J., Johnson-Webb, K., & Farrell, W. (1999). A Profile of Hispanic Newcomers

to North Carolina. Popular Government, 65 (1), 2–12.

Lopez, M. (1999). When discourses collide: An ethnography of migrant children at home

and in school. New York: Peter Lang.

Lynch, M. (1997). Using public libraries: What makes a difference? American Libraries,

64, (66).

Moller, S. (2001.) Library service to spanish speaking patrons: A practical guide.

Englewood: Libraries Unlimited.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2001). Participation in education: Indicator 4

(2001) parental education, by race/ethnicity. U.S. Dept. of Education: Institute of

Education Sciences. Retrieved October 11, 2002, from

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2001/section1/indicator04.asp

Nicolau, S., & Ramos, C. L. (1990). Together is better: Building strong relationships

between schools and Hispanic parents. Washington, DC: Hispanic Policy

Development Project.

Nichols, J.V. (1995). Using future trends to inform planning/marketing. Library Trends

43(3), 349-366.

North Carolina Department of Commerce. (2003). Economic development information

system: Chatham County. Retrieved March 23, 2003, from

45

http://cmedis.commerce.state.nc.us/countyprofiles/countyprofile.asp?county=Chat

ham

North Carolina Division of Accountability Services. (2001, August 3). The 1996 NC

NAEP 8th grade mathematics assessment: Equity in environments across schools.

Department of Public Instruction 3 (3) [Electronic version]. Retrieved October

11, 2002 from

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/Accountability/evaluation/evalbriefs/vol3n1.htm

North Carolina Division of Social Services and Children’s Resource Program. (2002,

June). Working with Latino Families. Children’s Services Practice Notes for

North Carolina’s Child Welfare Workers, 7 (3) [Electronic version]. Retrieved

October 11, 2002, from

http://ssw.unc.edu/fcrp/Cspn/vol7_no3/cspn_v7_no3_final.pdf

Osterling, J. (2001). Waking the sleeping giant: Engaging and capitalizing on the

sociocultural strengths of the Latino community. [Electronic version]. Bilingual

Research Journal, 25 (1 & 2).

Shore, D. (1998, October 26). Bridging the two cultures: Martinez named Hispanic

adviser. Online News: North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved

October 11, 2002, from

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/agcomm/writing/102698a.htm

Sosa, A. (1993). Thorough and fair: Creating routes to success for Mexican-American

students. Charleston, W.Va.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small

Schools.

46

Suarez-Orozco, C. and Marcelo, M. (2001). The children of immigration in schools.

Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Sundell, J. (2000). Library service to Hispanic immigrants of Forsyth county, North

Carolina: A community collaboration. In S. Güereña (Ed.), Library services to

Latinos (pp. 143-168). Jefferson: McFarland.

Rincon & Associates. (2000). Survey of library needs for North Carolina Hispanics.

Raleigh, N.C.: State Library of North Carolina.

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promise: Hispanic education and America’s future. The Congressional Hispanic

Caucus: U.S. Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force.

47

Appendix A: Consent Letter in Spanish (and English translation) Estimado/a señor/a:

Mi nombre es Helen Dunn, y estoy conduciendo un estudio hacia cómo las bibliotecas del condado de Chatham sirven para la comunidad hispana. La información de este proyecto es parte de la investigación que estoy haciendo como estudiante de la escuela de Información y Ciencias Bibliotecarias de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte. El objetivo de este proyecto de investigación es intentar entender como las bibliotecas de las escuelas pueden tener mejor información para las necesidades de los estudiantes hispanos y sus familias. Aproximadamente 180 padres de estudiantes hispanos que están matriculados en las escuelas del condado de Chatham participarán en el estudio.

Con esta carta va un pequeño cuestionario que pregunta a Ud. acerca de sus actitudes y actividades relacionadas con las bibliotecas, y cómo participa en la educación de sus hijos. Le estoy preguntando que vea el cuestionario y si escoge hacerlo, entonces, por favor, complételo y regréselo a mi, usando el sobre incluido con la dirección y la estampa ya puestas. Ud. no necesita escribir su nombre en el cuestionario porque no necesito saber quien es. Para preservar su anonimato, no es necesario escribir su dirección en el sobre.

Su participación es voluntaria y no será penalizado por no participar. El cuestionario le llevará aproximadamente quince minutos para completar. Si Ud. decide o no participar en el cuestionario, Ud. puede tener un resúmen de lo que he hecho en este estudio. Para recibir un resúmen, marque la cajita en la última página del cuestionario y escribe su dirección de correo para que yo sepa dónde mandarlo. El resultado de este proyecto será sumarizado y publicado en la página web de mi escuela en la dirección http://www.ils.unc.edu/html/5_master_paper_index.shtml, y también compartiré el resultado con las escuelas del condado de Chatham. Guarantizo que sus respuestas no serán identificados con Ud. personalmente. Nada de lo que Ud. diga podrá infuir con la relación de sus hijos en la escuela.

Espero que tome pocos minutos para completar este cuestionario y regresarlo encerrado en el sobre que le proporciono. Si Ud. tiene alguna pregunta o duda acerca de completar el cuestionario o acerca de este estudio, puede contactarme a mi casa al teléfono (919) 960-2597 o a mi dirección electrónica dunnh@email.unc.edu (inglés o español). También, Ud. puede contactar a mi consejera, Dra. Evelyn Daniel, en la escuela de de Informacion y Ciencias Bibliotecarias. Su dirección electrónica es daniel@ils.unc.edu y el número de teléfono de su oficina es (919) 962-8062 (solo inglés).

Este proyecto ha sido revisado y aprobado por las escuelas del condado de Chatham y por el Consejo de Aprobación Institucional de Asuntos Académicos (AA-IRB-Academic Affairs Institutional Review Board) de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte (UNC). Si Ud. tiene dudas o preguntas acerca de sus derechos como participante en este estudio, puede contactar a la oficina del AA-IRB al teléfono (919) 962-7761, o por correo electrónico a aa-irb@unc.edu.

¡Muchas gracias por su tiempo y ayuda! Sinceramente,

Helen Dunn

48

Dear Respondent,

I am conducting a study on how libraries in Chatham County schools serve the county’s Hispanic community. This research project is part of an investigation that is being conducted by me as a student at the University of North Carolina’s School of Information and Library Science. The objective of this research project is to attempt to understand how school libraries can better meet the information needs of Hispanic students and their families. Approximately 180 parents of LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students in Chatham County schools will participate in this study.

Enclosed with this letter is a brief questionnaire that asks a variety of questions about your library related attitudes and activities, and how you participate in your children’s education. I am asking you to look over the questionnaire and, if you choose to do so, complete the questionnaire and send it back to me. You do not have to write your name on the questionnaire. I do not need to know who you are. Your participation is voluntary and there is no penalty if you do not participate. The questionnaire will take about fifteen minutes to complete.

Regardless of whether you choose to participate, you can have a summary of the findings of this study. To receive a summary, use the enclosed letter size self-addressed and stamped envelope and the address form. To preserve your anonymity, you can send this request by separate mail. In this way, I have no way of knowing who sent back a questionnaire and who requested a summary of the results.

The results of this project will be published on the Website of the School of Information and Library Science at http://www.ils.unc.edu/html/5_master_paper_index.shtml. I guarantee that your responses will not be identified with you personally. Nothing you do or say will in any way influence your relationship with your child’s school.

I hope you will take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire and to return it in the enclosed self-addressed and stamped envelope. If you have any questions or concerns about completing the questionnaire or about being in this study, you may contact me at home at (919) 960-2597 or at dunnh@unc.edu. You may also contact my advisor, Dr. Evelyn Daniel, in the School of Information and Library Science. Her office telephone number is (919) 962-8062 and her email address is daniel@ils.unc.edu.

This project has been reviewed and approved by the Academic Affairs Institutional Review Board (AA-IRB). If you have any questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant, you may contact the AA-IRB Office at (919) 962-7761 or via email at aa-irb@unc.edu. Thanks again. Sincerely, Helen Dunn

49

Appendix B: Questionnaire (and English translation) Estimado Señor/Señora:

Este es el cuestionario. Después de cada pregunta sigue una tabla en la que Ud. puede marcar su respuesta. La mayoria de preguntas solo deben de tener una respuesta. Ud. verá que después de algunas tables viene un espacio marcado con la palabra “Otros,” en el que puede añadir su propia respuesta si no le corresponde nada en la tabla. Ud. también puede escribir sus pensamientos o comentarios al final del cuestionario en el espacio marcado “Comentarios.” Muchísimas gracias para su participación.

Cuestionario 1. ¿Ud.preferiría comunicarse con otras personas más en inglés, más en español, o está cómodo comunicándose en las dos lenguas? Por favor, marque uno.

Más en inglés Más en español Las dos lenguas 2. Acerca de su uso del lenguaje inglés, ¿como calificaría su abilidad de hablar ingles? ¿Como es su abilidad de leer inglés? Y como es su abilidad de escribir inglés? Por favor, marque uno para cada abilidad. Abildad de hablar ingles.

Excelente Buena Más o menos

Muy poquita Nada

Ablildad de leer ingles.

Excelente Buena Más o menos

Muy poquita Nada

Abilidad de escribir inglés.

Excelente Buena Más o menos

Muy poquita Nada

3. Por favor, marque uno de los siguentes acerca de su educación completada.

Primaria Secundaria Preparatoria Universidad Maestria Doctorado 4. Estoy interesada en saber cómo Ud. se siente acerca de la escuela donde asisten sus hijos, y si cree que la escuela está completando las necesidades de Ud. y sus hijos. Por favor, responda con la siguente tabla, marcando en su nivel de acuerdo. Esta escuela es muy buena para mis hijos.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Los maestros están interesados en mis hijos.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Me siento bien acerca de la escuela.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Mis hijos/hijas están aprendiendo lo más que pueden.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

50

Esta escuela es una de las mejores para los padres y estudiantes.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

La escuela me da la información que necesito para que mis hijos salgan adelante.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Esta escula me anima a ser voluntario y participar en la educación de mis hijos.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

5. Estoy interesada en saber cómo Ud. participa en la educación de sus hijos con ellos en casa y en la escuela. Por favor, responda con la siguiente tabla marcando en su nivel de acuerdo. Hablo con mis hijos acerca de la escuela.

Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Visito los salones de mis hijos. Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Les leo a mis hijos. Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Les ayudo con su tarea. Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Practico la ortografía y otras abilidades para los examenes de mis hijos.

Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Voy a la escuela a hablar con los maestros de mis hijos.

Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Hablo con los maestros de mis hijos por teléfono.

Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Voy a las juntas de PTA (Asociación de Padres y Maestros).

Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Voy a eventos especiales en la escuela.

Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Voy a la biblioteca con mis hijos.

Siempre Mucho Con frecuencia

De vez en cuando

Nunca

Otros: _________________________________________________________________

51

6. A mi me gustaría saber cómo Ud. encuentra información que necesita acerca de su vida diaria. Durante los 12 meses pasados, cómo Ud. encontró información de la comunidad de dónde ahorita vive? Por favor, marque todos los que apliquen. Televisión Radio Internet Periódico Biblioteca La

sección amarilla

Revistas Familiares y amigos

Iglesia

Otros: _________________________________________________________________ 7. ¿Cuánto Ud. podría decir que ha usado una biblioteca durante los 12 meses pasados? Por favor, marque lo que le aplique. Todas las semanas Cada mes Al menos una vez en los 12

meses Cada dos semanas Cada tres a seis meses Ninguna vez en los 12

meses Otros: _________________________________________________________________ 8. Estoy interesada en saber para que cosas le gustaría usar la biblioteca. ¿Podría por favor decirme cuál de los siguientes servicios usaría? Marque su nivel de acuerdo. Prestar materials para adultos (libros, cassetes, CDs, DVDs, videos).

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Prestar materiales de niños (libros, cassetes, CDs, DVDs, videos).

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Prestar materiales para jóvenes (libros, cassetes, CDs, DVDs, videos).

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Leer revistas y periódicos. Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Aprender a cómo comprar casa, carro, etc.

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Ver información del gobierno (taxas, leyes, cuidadanía , etc)

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Atender a clases para aprender como usar computadoras.

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Comprar libros usados. Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Hablar con la bibliotecaria acerca de los libros que mi hijos pueden leer.

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

52

Usar la computadora para aceso al Internet.

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Traer a sus hijos a un programa de niños.

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Atender a clases para aprender inglés.

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Atender a clases de asuntos de padres.

Sí Probablemente Tal vez

No muy probable

No

Otros: _________________________________________________________________ 9. Me gustaría saber cúales bibliotecas en el condado de Chatham Ud. ha visitado. Por favor, marque las bibliotecas que ha visitado. Si Ud. no ha visitado a ninguna biblioteca en el condado de Chatham, por favor marquelo abajito. Biblioteca bilingüe del centro de recursos para padres (al lado del Intake Center en

Sage Academy) La biblioteca que está en la escuela de mi hijo/a o mis hijos/as. Las biblioteca públicas del condado de Chatham (en Pittsboro, Siler City o

Goldston) Otra biblioteca?: Otra?: No he visitado a ninguna biblioteca en el condado de Chatham. 10. Finalmente, me gustaría preguntarle acerca de cómo se siente sobre las bibliotecas del condado de Chatham en general. Lo siguiente es una lista de frases que quizá, o quizá no, describa como se siente acerca de las bibliotecas. Me gustaría que Ud. me dijera cuáles mejor describe su sentimiento marcando con su nivel de acuerdo. Las bibliotecas son buenos lugares para encontrar información.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

La gente que trabaja en las bibliotecas puede comunicarse facilmente con los hispanos.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Los trabajadores de las bibliotecas son amigables conmigo y con mi familia.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Las bibliotecas pueden ayudar a los niños a desarollarse mejor en la escuela.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

53

Visitaría a las bibliotecas más seguido si no tuviera que trabajar tanto.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Sería conveniente que tuviera más acceso a usar la biblioteca en la escuela de mi hijo y la del centro bilingüe de recursos para padres.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Me gustaría visitar las bibliotecas más seguido si tuvieran más información acerca de la gente, de los eventos, y de la cultura hispana.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Visitaría las bibliotecas más seguido si diera más información y servicios que yo quiero.

Muy de acuerdo

De acuerdo

Más o menos

No muy de acuerdo

No de acuerdo

Otros: _________________________________________________________________ ¡Ud. ya terminó! Muchas gracias, le agradezco mucho por su tiempo y por su consideración en completar el cuestionario. Si Ud. tiene alguna pregunta o duda acerca de completar el cuestionario o acerca de este estudio, puede contactarme a mi casa al teléfono (919) 960-2597 o a mi dirección electrónica dunnh@email.unc.edu (ingles o español). También, Ud. puede contactar a mi consejera, Dra. Evelyn Daniel, en la escuela de de Informacion y Ciencias Bibliotecarias. Su dirección electrónica es daniel@ils.unc.edu y el número de teléfono de su oficina es (919) 962-8062 (solo ingles).

Este proyecto ha sido revisado y aprobado por el Consejo de Aprobación Institucional de Asuntos Académicos (AA-IRB-Academic Affairs Institutional Review Board). Si Ud. tiene dudas o preguntas acerca de sus derechos como participante en este estudio, puede contactar a la oficina del AA-IRB al teléfono (919) 962-7761, o por correo electrónico a aa-irb@unc.edu. Si Ud. quiere un resumen del estudio, por favor, marque aquí. Para mandarle un resumen, necesito una dirección de correo!! Lo puede escribir aquí: Abajo Ud. puede escribirme sus comentarios. Si no le da espacio, puede continuar al otro lado de la hoja. Gracias otra vez.

54

Dear Respondent:

This is the questionnaire. Please read each question carefully. After each question is a table in which you may mark your response. The majority of questions should only have one response. You will see that at the end of some of the questions, there is a space marked “Others,” where you can add your own response. You may also include your comments or thoughts at the end of the questionnaire in the space provided. Thank you very much for your participation. Questionnaire 1. Given a choice, would you prefer to communicate with others mostly in English, mostly in Spanish, or both languages? Please mark one.

Mostly in English Mostly in Spanish In either language 2. In regards to your usage of the English language, how would you rate your ability to speak English? Would you say it is excellent, good, fair or poor? What about your ability to read in English? And what about your ability to write in English? Please mark your responses.

Ability to speak English

Excellent Good Fair Poor Not at all

Ability to read English

Excellent Good Fair Poor Not at all

Ability to write English

Excellent Good Fair Poor Not at all

3. Please mark the highest level of education that you have completed.

Grade School

Middle school

High school Bachelor’s Degree

Master’s Degree Doctorate

4. I am interested in finding out how you feel about the school your child is attending and how well you believe the school addresses your needs and the needs of your child. Please respond to the following statements by marking your level of agreement. This school is very good for my child.

Strongly Agree Agree More or Less Agree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

The teachers are interested in my child

Strongly Agree Agree More or Less Agree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

I feel good about the school.

Strongly Agree Agree More or Less Agree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

55

My child is learning as much as he/she can in school.

Strongly Agree Agree More or Less Agree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

This school is one of the best for students and parents.

Strongly Agree Agree More or Less Agree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

This school provides me with the information I need to help my child succeed.

Strongly Agree Agree More or Less Agree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

This school encourages me to volunteer and participate in my child’s education.

Strongly Agree Agree More or Less Agree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

Others: _________________________________________________________________ 5. I am interested in finding out more about how you participate in your child’s education and with their school. Please respond to the following statements by marking your level of participation. I talk to my children about school.

Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

I visit my child’s classroom. Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

I read to my child. Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

I help my child with homework.

Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

I practice spelling or other skills for a test with my child.

Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

I talk with my child’s teacher at school.

Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

I talk to my child’s teacher on the phone.

Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

I go to PTA meetings. Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

I go to special events at school.

Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

I take my child to the library.

Always A Lot Sometimes Almost Never

Never

56

Others:__________________________________________________________________ 6. I would like to know more about how you find the information you need in your day-to-day life. During the past 12 months, which of the following sources have you used to find information about the community where you currently live? Please mark all that apply. Television Radio Internet Newspapers Library Yellow

pages Magazines Family/

friends Church

Others: _________________________________________________________________ 7. How often would you say that you have used a library during the past 12 months?

Every week? Each month? At least once in the last 12 months? Every two weeks? Every 3-6 months? Or not at all during the past 12

months? 8. I am interested in knowing the likelihood that you would use the library for the following reasons. Could you please tell me the extent to which you would use following services, by marking your level of agreement? Borrow materials for adults (books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, videos).

Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not No

Borrow children’s materials (books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, videos).

Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not No

Borrow materials for teenagers (books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, videos).

Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not No

Read magazines and newspapers. Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not NoLearn about buying a home, car, etc. Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not NoLook up government information (taxes, laws, etc.).

Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not No

Attend classes to learn how to use computers.

Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not No

Buy used books. Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not NoTalk with a librarian about books for my children to read.

Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not No

Use a computer to access the Internet. Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not NoBring a child to a children’s program. Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not NoAttend classes on learning English. Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not NoAttend parenting classes. Yes Likely Maybe Probably Not No Others: _________________________________________________________________

57

9. I would like to know which libraries you have visited in Chatham County. Please mark below for the libraries you have visited. If you have not visited a library in Chatham County, please mark the last box. Bilingual Parent Resource Center (next to the Parent Intake Center in Sage

Academy) The library in my child’s school.. A public library in Chatham County (in Pittsboro, Siler City o Goldston) Another library? Another? I have not visited a library in Chatham County. . 10. Finally, I would like to ask you a few questions concerning how you feel in general about the libraries in Chatham County. The following is a list of statements that may or may not describe how you feel about libraries. I would like for you to tell me the extent to which each statement describes your feelings, by marking the appropriate response. Libraries are good places to find information.

Strongly Agree

More or Less Agree

Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

The people who work in the libraries can communicate easily with Hispanics.

Strongly Agree

More or Less Agree

Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Library staff is generally friendly to me and my family.

Strongly Agree

More or Less Agree

Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

The library can help my children perform better in school.

Strongly Agree

More or Less Agree

Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

I would visit the library more often if I didn’t have to work so much.

Strongly Agree

More or Less Agree

Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

It would be convenient for me to be able to use the library in my child’s school.

Strongly Agree

More or Less Agree

Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

I would visit the library more often if it had more books and information about Hispanic people, events, and culture.

Strongly Agree

More or Less Agree

Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

I would visit the library more often if there was more information that was useful to me.

Strongly Agree

More or Less Agree

Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

Others: _________________________________________________________________

58

You are finished!! Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration in completing this questionnaire! If you have any questions or concerns about completing the questionnaire or about being in this study, you may contact me at home at (919) 960-2597 or at dunnh@unc.edu. You may also contact my advisor, Dr. Evelyn Daniel, in the School of Information and Library Science. Her office telephone number is (919) 962-8062 and her email address is daniel@ils.unc.edu. This project has been reviewed and approved by the Academic Affairs Institutional Review Board (AA-IRB). If you have any questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant, you may contact the AA-IRB Office at (919) 962-7761 or via email at aa-irb@unc.edu. If you would like a summary of the findings of this study, please provide a return address. Here you can write any comments or questions you may have. If there is not enough room, please continue on the other side of the paper. Thank you once again for your participation.

59

Appendix C: Commentary by respondents (English translation)

Respondent 1:

I think it would be useful to have a library in which I could learn more English

and find more information about things that I need to know and that can help my family

and me.

Respondent 2:

I feel very content that somebody is thinking about us in her studies, and I am

happy to be able to contribute, and help so that this study is completed. Thank you and

you can always count on my help, in whatever type of study. God bless you and I wish

you the best in your life.

Respondent 3:

I would like for somebody to help us, to have more opportunities for work and as

we are immigrants to help us obtain work visas, so as not to make rich the people who

sell illegal papers to our community. Because all of us, the families who have come to

the United States, have come to work and to have a better life. We do not want to have

problems with the laws of the United States, and we work honestly. And that I wish that

we weren’t exploited, and that people were not racist towards us because thanks to

immigrants, this country is what it is—and because we are honest people.

I would also like to have more cyber cafes, because there aren’t any places where

one can go to study computers. Thank you.

Respondent 4:

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I personally go to the public library in Siler City with my children. I would like

for them to have more videos or visual systems to learn English as second language. The

ones they have are obsolete and they are always checked out, so I believe that they should

acquire more. This would also bring in more Latinos to the library and would bring more

participation by Latinos in the library’s programs.

Respondent 5:

I don’t go to libraries because I was not sure if I would find people who could

speak Spanish.

Respondent 6:

I am very appreciative of the authorities of the state of North Carolina for caring

about the health and education of the Hispanic community. I arrived here in Siler City

about six months ago and in the moment I went to register my daughters to attend school,

I was offered a free English class which I am going to take, my first class is on April 14.

They offered me transportation to and from the classes, because of lack of transportation

I did not attend these classes earlier.

I know nothing, absolutely nothing about the English language, so I am going to

begin from zero. I hope to soon be able to speak, write, and read English because it is

something that interests me very much and is very important to me and my family and

because of this I want to make sure that I participate in the programs that the state offers.

Thank you.

Respondent 7:

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Thank you for contacting us. We hope the answers are useful to you, and when

you want, we are here to help you.

Respondent 8:

Miss Dunn: I just wanted to say thank you for thinking about the Hispanic

community in your studies, and to wish you success in your project. Keep going!